latelenovela Chapter 246 Tu Nan, did you go to dig for coal?
Chapter 246 Tu Nan, did you go to dig for coal?
Teacher Zhang led the senior students to arrange bicycle shipping, while Zhuang Tunan and Zhang Wanshu took advantage of the four hours they had left to wander around Taicheng and buy some local specialties to take back home.
Since it's a rare opportunity to come here, we should bring back some local specialties as a token of our appreciation.
Zhuang Tunan looked at this for a while, and then touched that.
I bought three packs of jujube flour; three bottles of aged vinegar; and three packs of pea cake.
They bought three sets of these items in total. Zhuang Tunan thought to himself that one set would be for his own family, one set for Aunt Song, and one set for Zhang Wanshu's family.
But when Zhang Wanshu learned that Zhuang Tunan wanted to bring a portion for her family as well, she insisted on giving him the money, and the two argued about it for a while.
Zhuang Tunan waved his hand. "Why don't you treat me to a meal?"
As he spoke, he glanced at his watch; there was still plenty of time. "The train doesn't depart for another two hours."
Zhang Wanshu looked at the large bags and small packages Zhuang Tunan was carrying and felt a little touched. She nodded. "What would you like to eat? It's on me, don't be shy."
Zhuang Tunan, carrying two bottles of aged vinegar, his eyes lit up, and pointed to the restaurant across the street. "Lamb stew with bread!"
The two entered the restaurant, each ordering a steamed bun and two bowls of mutton. Zhuang Tunan also ordered an extra bowl of tofu pudding.
Zhang Wanshu took a bite of the tofu pudding, and her eyes widened immediately, her face full of surprise.
"Tu Nan, try this tofu pudding, it's quite delicious!" As she spoke, she got up to get a spoon, but unexpectedly, Zhuang Tu Nan picked up her spoon and started drinking from it.
Zhang Wanshu was stunned for a moment, and dizziness ran from her cheeks all the way to her ears.
This is practically equivalent to Tu Nan eating her saliva! Ugh, how embarrassing! How can Zhuang Tu Nan act so naturally? Doesn't he know he used her spoon?
Ahhhhh!
"Zhuang Tunan!"
Tu Nan took a sip and realized that the tofu pudding was actually savory. The taste was quite unique, as he had only ever eaten sweet tofu pudding since he was a child.
"Wanshu, it's quite delicious, here you go." He said, handing the spoon back to her.
Zhang Wanshu glared at him, then picked up another spoon from the table and started drinking.
Zhuang Tunan then realized that he had indeed been a bit abrupt, having not thought much before bringing it over to drink.
He, Xiaoting, and Pengfei always used the same spoon when eating watermelon and never thought anything of it. But now, facing Zhang Wanshu, he suddenly realized that his behavior was somewhat inappropriate.
Looking at Wan Shu's flushed face, he felt a little embarrassed. He had actually eaten Wan Shu's saliva just now!
Zhang Wanshu saw Zhuang Tunan sitting there blankly. "Tunan, why aren't you eating? What are you thinking about?"
Coming to his senses, Zhuang Tunan quickly said, "I'll eat now, I'll eat now!" He hurriedly picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of mutton, and stuffed it into his mouth.
After shopping and having a meal, the two met up with their teachers and classmates and boarded the train together.
The carriage was bustling with people, and there was constant noise.
Zhuang Tunan found his seat and soon fell asleep.
After some time, Dazhi got up and patted Tu Nan, who was sleeping. "Tu Nan, wake up! We're almost in Suzhou. You and Zhang Wanshu should get off the bus now."
Tu Nan slowly opened his eyes, only to find his head covered in sweat, his hair soaked with perspiration.
"This air-conditioned bus is torture," he muttered as he wiped the sweat from his face.
Dazhi nodded. "That's right. The air conditioning was broken as soon as we got in the car. It was no different from a regular car, and we still spent so much more money."
After a journey of nearly thirty hours, the train finally slowly pulled into Suzhou Station.
Zhuang Tunan and Zhang Wanshu packed their luggage and slowly walked out of the carriage with the crowd.
、、、、、、、、
Zhuang Chaoying went grocery shopping early this morning. She bought chicken wings that Xiaoting likes, ribs that Tu Nan likes, and some pastries.
Today is Sunday, and everyone is at home.
Huang Ling started preparing the dough and steamed buns early in the morning.
Zhuang Chaoying helped out by picking up a cleaver and chopping the pork and bright green scallions into small pieces. She then added various seasonings and mixed them together. In no time, the meat filling was ready.
At this moment, Huang Ling was sitting in the courtyard, tending a small stove with a pot on it, where mung bean soup was bubbling away.
Song Ying sat to the side, holding a fan in her hand, fanning herself intermittently.
"Sister Ling, Xiaoting and Dongzhe have been out for almost two hours now, why aren't they back yet?"
Huang Ling looked up and glanced at her watch. "Yeah, I wonder what they're doing out there. They should be back by now, having gone to pick up Tu Nan."
Just then, Tu Nan appeared at the alley entrance, pushing his bicycle.
Xiaoting and Lin Dongzhe pushed the cart behind them, the three of them chatting and laughing.
Uncle Zhang and Grandpa Li were playing chess by the door when they heard the noise. Uncle Zhang looked up and saw Tu Nan. "Tu Nan, I heard you went to the western province. Why are you having your internship in coal mining?"
Upon hearing this, Tu Nan was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.
Seeing this, Lin Dongzhe quickly chimed in, "Uncle Zhang, Brother Tu Nan isn't mining coal; he's gone to protect ancient buildings."
Uncle Zhang suddenly realized what was going on and gave an awkward laugh. "Oh, oh, Tu Nan's got guts!"
The three continued walking into the alley, one after the other.
As they passed by Aunt Li's house, Aunt Li, with her sharp eyes, spotted Tu Nan at a glance. She quickly took out a net bag from inside the house, which contained two boxes of pastries and two cans of milk powder, and hurried out to greet him. "Tu Nan, this is a little something I've been wanting to give you for a while, and it's perfect that you're back today."
Tu Nan stopped the car, looking surprised, and quickly waved his hand to return the things. "Aunt Li, what are you doing!"
Aunt Li said warmly, "My child is taking the high school entrance exam, and it's all thanks to your and Xiaoting's notes. You're welcome, take them."
Tu Nan smiled, unable to refuse any longer, and had no choice but to accept it. "Aunt Li, thank you then."
Tu Nan shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mom, Dad! I'm home!"
Hearing her son's voice, Huang Ling was startled at first, then quickly called into the house, "Chao Ying, Tu Nan is back!"
Zhuang Chaoying, wearing an apron, put down the spatula in her hand and hurried from the kitchen to the front yard. "Tu Nan, it's good to be back, it's good to be back. Your mother bought you a lot of delicious food."
Song Ying quickly stood up as well. "Wu Feng, Tu Nan is back!"
The three of them parked their bicycles on one side of the yard.
Huang Ling quickly walked to Tu Nan's side, took his hand, and looked him up and down carefully, her eyes filled with heartache.
She had heard from others that the western province was arid, with loess plateaus everywhere, and that Tu Nan must have suffered a lot during his month-long trip there.
"Tu Nan, you've lost weight and gotten darker." As she spoke, Huang Ling gently took Tu Nan's backpack off her shoulder and slung it over her own.
Zhuang Chaoying then picked up her son's two bags.
"Yun Yao is too hot. She can't eat because of the heat. She just wants her mother's cooking."
Huang Ling held his hand. "Mom steamed some buns, and after you take a shower, we'll eat."
Song Ying also came over, looking at Tu Nan excitedly. "Tu Nan, I knew you were coming back, so I bought a big piece of beef early this morning and asked your mom to cook it for you so you can nourish yourself. You've lost a lot of weight."
Huang Ling nodded with a smile. "Come inside and rest for a bit."